Look down. Right under your feet is an intricate system of dark tunnels that run through the entire campus.

Kevin Vines, chief engineer of the East Heating Plant, said the tunnels were built to carry steam to campus buildings for heating and kitchen purposes.

The tunnels are made of cement and are adorned with metal piping that is anchored to the walls, ceilings and floors.

Tunnel sizes vary from 6.5 to 7 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet. wide, while in other places there only is crawl space, Vines said.

The tunnels extend all over campus, equaling about three miles, Vines added.

The tunnels get very hot, and Vines said he can remember a time when the rims of his glasses became extremely hot. He has recorded temperatures up to 170 degrees.

Partly for this reason, Vines said he worries about students trying to break into the tunnels.

Mike Saari, associate director of the physical plant, said students have broken in before because of an opening due to construction, or because they have pried open an access hatch.

There are many safety hazards awaiting students who think touring the tunnels would be exciting.

The temperatures are hard on the lungs, the tunnels contain asbestos, spaces become extremely tight in areas, it is easy to trip or get lost, and Vines said he himself has even gotten burnt.

If a steam line ruptured and someone was directly exposed to it, the burns would be so severe that they most likely would be fatal, Saari said.

“Any students who attempt to enter [the tunnels] are quite literally taking their lives in their own hands,” he said.